Police: John Haddad suspected of 5 robberies in month

He has been convicted on federal charges of identity theft and bank fraud in Oregon and Minnesota. His rap sheet dates back more than two decades. In 2007, Bank of America said in a court filing he defrauded customers in eight states to the tune of $110,000.

Police told the Patriot Ledger that John Haddad, 50, robbed a Sovereign Bank branch in Wollaston last Saturday, the fifth robbery of a South Shore bank he is suspected of committing in the past month. Thursday, Quincy police, and officers from other departments and the FBI arrested him in the parking lot of James Hook & Co. in South Boston.

“He’s definitely a career criminal,” Quincy police Detective Bill Montieth said. Haddad has family in Rockland and Weymouth, and gave their addresses when asked where he lives.

In January 2008, Haddad was sentenced in Oregon to 39 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. After he was released in March 2010, Haddad came to Massachusetts, where he has a criminal history dating back to the 1970s.

In addition to the Dec. 15 Quincy robbery, Montieth told the Patriot Ledger that Haddad is expected to be charged with robbing an Eastern Bank in Weymouth on Nov. 8, a Nov. 16 robbery of Crescent Credit Union in Norwell, a Nov. 18 robbery of Eastern Bank in Norwell and a Nov. 30 robbery of Eastern Bank in Braintree.

Court records indicate Haddad recently ran into trouble paying down a $116,900 restitution order tied to the Oregon conviction and had been admitted to a detoxification center for problems with alcohol and cocaine.

Police were able to track him after a federal probation officer recognized him in photographs taken by bank surveillance cameras.

In 2006, Haddad pleaded guilty in federal court in Oregon to aggravated identity theft, bank fraud and Social Security fraud after he was indicted for using other people's names, bank account and social security numbers, dates of birth and drivers licenses to falsely represent himself in withdrawing money from Bank of America. A 2008 court filing by an Oregon prosecutor portrays Haddad as involved in an organized ring.

“Haddad does not appear to be a manufacturer of identity documents and fraudulent checks used in the scheme. Nor does he appear to be an organizer or leader,” the memorandum reads. “Instead, his role appears to be that of an experienced fraudulent check passer who sends out portions of the proceeds to others involved in the scheme.”

Prior to the indictment, Haddad had been arrested for possessing counterfeit credit cards, false identification documents and Social Security cards, and using counterfeit credit cards.

The day after Christmas in 2005, police officers in Bloomington, Minn., arrested Haddad and a female accomplice at the Mall of America for making purchases using a credit card bearing the name “Herbert Tinkham.”

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